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Conservation paradox: Dealing with human-wildlife conflicts https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/conservation-paradox-dealing-with-human-wildlife-conflicts/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/conservation-paradox-dealing-with-human-wildlife-conflicts/#respondSun, 05 Mar 2017 08:40:25 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=583Continue reading Conservation paradox: Dealing with human-wildlife conflicts →]]>Human-wildlife interactions are inevitable in human-dominated landscapes of Nepal. While much of these interactions pass by as plain sightings, some transpire into ‘conflicts’, causing losses to people and animals. Other than individual losses, conflicts can have more severe repercussions, notably reduced tolerance of people and retaliations towards wildlife. Addressing these concerns is critical for ‘sustained’ success in conservation.

Unfortunately, there are but a few choices for conservationists in human-wildlife conflict mitigation. These options are based on two broad strategies. One – keep wildlife away, and the second – keep people safe.

Contemporarily, the first option has taken precedence. Innovations and technology have enhanced our ability to keep animals away from people’s space. An example is solar fencing. WWF is among conservation organizations around the world that have successfully helped people this way, keeping wildlife like elephants away.

A case for this is seen in Madi valley along the Indo-Nepal border in the Terai. Blanketed on all sides by three protected areas – Chitwan National Park and Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, and Valmiki Tiger Reserve in India, the valley faced intense conflicts with wildlife. In 2007/08, under the Terai Arc Landscape – Protected Areas and Buffer Zones (TAL-PA & BZ) project, helped install 14 km stretch of solar fence along Madi valley. The outcome was instantaneous. Animals, particularly elephants were safely kept away from people’s farms. The valley saw ‘nearly 300% increase in the value of crop produced’ in the first harvest since installation of the fence! WWF Nepal is now experimenting with early warning systems. The theory behind being identification of approaching target animals through sensors that triggers signals to convey information to stakeholders. These however, are localized solutions designed for intensive conflict settlements. Moreover, these interventions are target-animal specific and not all-encompassing.

A more inclusive approach is being increasingly adopted worldwide. This is the second option– a people-centric approach relying on human intelligence and instincts to keep themselves safe. This is essentially a revival of traditional methods, with modern understanding.

Many forest-dwelling communities even today live harmoniously with wildlife. The principle behind their co-existence is the communities’ understanding of wildlife, rather than ‘keeping animals away’. It is one of mutual respect, where wildlife encounters do not normally turn into ‘conflicts’, because of the way they respond to these sightings.

Recalling a recent example, for learning, a tiger was shot dead near Parsa WR, last month. News reported that the animal was shot dead, (and rightly so) as it had injured more than ten people. Delving further into the incident reflects on the actual reasons for this ‘conflict’, to help us address these situations better. One news report provided the hint, stating:“It (the tiger) was first spotted ..by a pond. Soon, the villagers gathered, armed with spears, sticks and rocks, to chase the beast…the tiger got agitated when some villagers started throwing rocks while it was hidden among the bushes.”

The implications are clear. The tiger was not there to attack people. It was ‘sitting by a pond’. Then it tried to ‘hide’. It attacked in self-defense, and was shot dead.

We the people responded wrongly to the ‘sighting’; it ended in a tragic ‘conflict’ where people were unnecessarily injured and a valuable tiger life was lost. There are too many examples of sightings turning into conflicts, because of the way people respond.

The ideal response would have been to leave the tiger alone, without being disturbed or provoked. It would most-likely have gone its way. Wild animals are by nature shy, and avoid people. We need to respect this, and return the favor. We also need to realize that they are powerful and can be dangerous.

Human beings are intelligent. People need to know to not try and corner wild animals that have somehow reached human-use areas. This will ensure their safety, and that of the animal.

Of course, there are instances when wild animals deliberately attack humans. These outliers, classified as man-killers or man-eaters in case of wild cats, are dangerous to human life. They need to be ‘managed’ for the well-being of people, and the species.

Human-wildlife relation is complex, and conflict mitigation measures may need to be customized to situations, species, or even individuals. There is no one-solution-fit-all.

What comes close to ‘panacea’ for conflict prevention is people’s civility. If people keep themselves aware of the ways to be safe, then half the problem would be solved. This includes variety of sane actions – keeping distance, not provoking or disturbing animals, among others.

We can, and have experienced sightings not turning into conflicts, for instance, wildlife safaris. Few encounters turn into conflicts, when visitors maintain distance, and respect the animals’ space.

Our conservation approach is centred around the protected areas system. The Parsa tiger case is among numerous instances that have raised concerns about safety of people and wildlife outside PAs. Conservation fraternity continues to sensitize public. The general public must also strive to be aware on ‘dos and don’ts’ in such instances.

Nepal is blessed to have the range and diversity in wilderness, from the Terai to the mountain and the species inhabiting these landscapes. In today’s world, increasing wildlife numbers in Nepal is something we must be proud about. However, preservation of this success will depend on more of us joining in. By either being a part of the solution. Or by not being a part of the problem.

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/conservation-paradox-dealing-with-human-wildlife-conflicts/feed/0spiritoftheforestsSelfie of a habit: Trashing paradise.https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/selfie-of-a-habit-trashing-a-paradise/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/selfie-of-a-habit-trashing-a-paradise/#commentsSun, 18 Dec 2016 07:01:40 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=542Continue reading Selfie of a habit: Trashing paradise.→]]>Everybody loves a good selfie, including Prime Ministers. And like everybody else’s, their’s are just a drop in the global selfie ocean.

Greater access to technology has made taking and posting selfies almost viral among new human habits. So much so that ‘selfie’ was declared the “Oxford word of the year” in 2013. A year later, news reports quoting Google sources indicated that over ‘93000000 selfies are posted online everyday’. Newer reports in 2015 highlighted the craze, stating more people die attempting the perfect selfie, than due to shark attacks! According to a latest study (Lamba et al., 2016 ;), India is the reportedly the chart topper when it comes to number of selfie deaths.

While selfies far outnumber many other daily statistics – 24000 people dying of starvation, for instance – representing the new cosmetic world order, we also know by experience that old habits die hard. Among the latter “favourites” to potentially outlive selfie mania is ‘littering’.

Here is a series of selfies of litter (plastic, or otherwise) taken during a visit to Tadiandamol – the highest peak of Coorg district in Karnataka. Apart from paying homage to our widespread habit, this also tells stories of people who seem to care not for the country or its Swachchh Bharat campaign.

1. King-of-good-times or -bad

2. Smile please: Particularly useful for overnight campers.

3. Milking a good life: For you if not for the earth.

4. Hungry Kya: Recover calories burnt.

5. Silver foil: Almost gold.

These are just few examples of what one finds apart from peace of mind in scenic spaces. Yet, not all blame for littering exotic locations falls on visitors. In Tadiandamol, for instance, nature can be equally responsible. With winds at the speed of over 80 kmph, holding on to garbage can be a daunting task. Sometimes sincerely.

Amidst old habits and new, and nature, ‘Swachchh Bharat’ may seem a distant dream; yet, it is not impossible. There is always hope in newer habits and more evolved mindsets.

Like Thimayya, a local caretaker for a rest house at the base of Tadiandamol. Meekly greeting visitors passing by, he requests them to carry back their garbage. That many visitors may be anti-national – continuing to litter, not caring for the country’s efforts towards cleanliness – does not stop him from trying.

Like Nazar, an urban visitor who carried back a huge bag of garbage of his own. Whether littered by anti-national visitors or by the wind, he collected all that he could and did his duty for the nation for the day.

What we do of the garbage stopped from being littered, or cleared, by the likes of Thimayya and Nazar, may itself need nationalism check.

Nevertheless, that there are many like them is inspiring. That more join in these positive efforts is a thing to hope for, so our selfies can afford to have a more balanced face to surrounding ratio. Else, we can always clean up our faces, and cover up our habits, and continue to live in our Swachchh virtual paradise.

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/selfie-of-a-habit-trashing-a-paradise/feed/1selfiespiritoftheforestsselfieLost in Babaihttps://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/lost-in-babai/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/lost-in-babai/#respondSat, 22 Oct 2016 13:03:48 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=504Continue reading Lost in Babai→]]>I have always been lost. I still am. If past is any indication of future, I will forever be lost.

I have come to accept this fact; even appreciate it. Thankfully, there still is so much in this earth to get lost into.

Like Babai valley..

Falling in the core region of Bardia National Park in western Nepal, Babai valley is the more untampered part of this increasingly popular wildlife destination.

I was fortunate to join a team rafting through Babai river across Bardia to check on the status of rhinos translocated in the valley as part of a repopulation program. This program is an on-going initiative by the Nepal government in collaboration with organizations including WWF Nepal, where I currently work.

We began our day early, even as the moon hung about the morning sky. A few hours’ drive to Chepang where Babai enters Bardia from its east, and a lazy breakfast later, we were on the raft (a little too late for good wildlife sightings).

I have been to Babai valley before, but had never seen it this way. White florescence of Kans a native grass species (Saccharum spontaneum) swayed along the river banks, when not covered in predictable green.

Gharials and muggers basked in impressive numbers along exposed sandy beach patches. Every sighting, a reminder of how fast these reptiles could be. Vanishing into the water within seconds, leaving me fumbling with camera settings, except for one shot for evidence.

More disgraceful was being unable to photograph a turtle! We sighted one, but it literally ‘ran’ over stones on the bank and dove into the river. Even before I could lift my camera, that guy just ‘ran like a turtle’!

I busied myself taking pictures of subjects that didn’t vanish as easily – garbage, for instance; much more common than I remembered from a decade ago.

Of course, I did eventually get some wildlife images: A few birds, a couple of deer, and a translocated rhino and her four-month-old calf!

The most exciting sighting though was a dramatic scene played out at the end of our trip. We were approaching a rapid at a bend; rumbling sound from the cliff on our right attracted our attention to rolling stones and flying dust, and then a huge splash.

A pair of sambar deer had just jumped into the river, right in front of us! The current was pretty strong, but the deer were clearly stronger swimmers. Both managed to cross the river safely, although separated by our raft.

There were no tiger sightings this time, but I cannot guarantee that no tiger sighted us. We sailed away, hearing alarm calls. Perhaps the deer had just escaped their death.

Amidst sadistic fantasy of a tiger jumping into the river after the deer, we reached Parewaodar – the end of our rafting trip.

Sun set across the Parewaodar bridge, lowering curtains on this brilliant day.

As we drove back to our hotel, I went back to being lost. I was back in Bardia..back in Babai. I still am.

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/lost-in-babai/feed/0sambar_auto_smspiritoftheforestsmoon2muggerfrooti-bottle-in-babaiwater-bottle-in-babaibird2chitalsambar_auto_sm1-rhino-and-calf_sheren-shrestha-wwf-nepalsambar-in-rapids-smsambar-second-crossing-rapids-smsunset-smgimg_6095Aping the ancestors: How monkey are you?https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/aping-the-ancestors-how-monkey-are-you/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/aping-the-ancestors-how-monkey-are-you/#respondTue, 30 Aug 2016 17:11:20 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=439I’m sure you know by now humans evolved from primates (macaques and apes). In fact, some studies say we share up to 99% genetic similarity!

While driving back home from work this evening, an incident in Kathmandu traffic planted a thought: Are some of us more closely related to our ancestors than others?

Monkeying with my mind a little, I realised it must be so. After all, no humans are alike.. so some of us must be more ‘monkey’ than others. Maybe by a small fraction, maybe by more..

I did a quick search, and (with due respect to our ancestors) found the similarities could often be striking!

So, here I have compiled a set of questions to help rate one’s proximity to our ancestors. View the videos for behavioral clarity, and rank yourself from one to 10 for each question, to find out ‘how monkey are you?’

(Score index below)

1. How likely are you to drive like this?

2. How often do you leave food packets exactly where you finish eating?

3. How often do you do this while somebody is trying to have an honest conversation?

4. How often do you steal from others, and pretend like the stuff has always been yours?

5. How much do you tend to harass strangers of different race, color or sex?

5. How likely are you to do such horrible stuff to members of your own race, and find it funny?

Score index:

0-20: You are more human, i.e. only if you are not lying. If you are, you are a lying monkey. Visit a therapist.

21-40: You need to check on yourself buddy. Maybe hire a monkey trainer. In your case, it will not be illegal.

41-60: Congratulations! You belong in a zoo!

P.S. On a serious note, this is the ‘Year of the Monkey’ as per the Chinese calendar. Macaques and apes are just amazing..much more than many of us can ever be! Here’s a good piece to start learning about them: 11 things you didn’t know about monkeys.

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/aping-the-ancestors-how-monkey-are-you/feed/0curiousbabymonkeys.jpg.653x0_q80_crop-smartspiritoftheforestsMusic video: Time is running out..https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/music-video-time-is-running-out/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/music-video-time-is-running-out/#commentsSun, 05 Jun 2016 09:17:49 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=339Continue reading Music video: Time is running out..→]]>Today is World Environment Day. A day when people working for the environment and nature reiterate ‘every day is environment day’. A day when most others continue life as usual. Others still, may not even know this day exists, or may not care.

Doesn’t matter. What does, is to realize that there is one earth, one home for all of us. Because we cannot just be perpetrators; one way or another, we will also be victims. Everybody can, and everybody must do their bit.

This song is dedicated to our home. And to all of you who have done something to mend the ways of the past, and to those who will in the future. More power to you!

(This song is my own composition. The video concept is not meant to showcase all that is wrong in our world, but to inspire to make those right. Listing out links of articles used in the video [far below]. Also, putting down the lyrics below for those interested. It was recorded at home on Garageband with an acoustic guitar. Hope you enjoy it!)

We’ve stared for too long, glaciers melting down
As we fed our souls, trees were all razed down
Rivers drying out, children crying out loud yeah
Everything else is dying, leaving us alone
We may be stuck in time, but time is running out

Ignorance of our past, is catching up on us now
Days are getting short, night is stretching long yeah
Crashing into darkness as we live on as we did
Yet we’re dreaming on yeah everything is gonna be alright
We’re just stuck in time, but time is running out

Somethings gotta give, give in to the truth, before we hit the wall
It’s a final call to heal, these signs that future deals, rising from our fall
Wake up from this dream, soak in what you see, step outside your life
Got no time to waste, when it’s time to act, and time is running out

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/music-video-time-is-running-out/feed/1Grauer's gorilla2spiritoftheforestsPhoto-feature: Back to Bardiahttps://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/photo-feature-back-to-bardia/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/photo-feature-back-to-bardia/#respondThu, 05 May 2016 09:58:07 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=227Continue reading Photo-feature: Back to Bardia→]]>Anything one says about Bardia National Park in west Nepal, would be an understatement. Such are the ways of the forest, anyway. You cannot describe it, well enough. You can only experience it.

After a decade since I was first introduced here, I was back in Bardia last week. These are some images.

1. One of the most striking sights during this trip was forest fires. This article states that around 280000 hectares of forests in Nepal has been affected, and is the worst of forest fires that Nepal has seen. What I saw was distressing enough. All the way from the outskirts of Kathmandu to interiors of Bardia, there were fires razing. This image was taken somewhere in mid-Nepal, en route Kathmandu to Bardia.

2. An amazing thing about Bardia (and other protected areas in Nepal as against most in neighboring India) is that one can experience the place on foot.

We went for a half-day trek. The day began with a distressing sight of a python (wrongly identified as a viper) whacked to death for having killed a chicken.

3. Once inside Bardia, however, it was easy to forget the ills of humanity and immerse in the purity of the wild. Wooded grasslands like this one is a characteristic micro-habitat of this region.

4. For the tiger-thirsty tourists, Bardia must be among the world’s best places to see wild tigers while on foot. Of course, we saw a tiger, cooling itself in a river for over 30 minutes, to avoid heat incensed by fires and lack of rain.

However, a more exciting and unusual sighting was a mugger crocodile eating what seemed to be a python.

5. This area is also filled with amazing micro-fauna. Here’s a spider that alarmed me to hell (I will share a video on what this guy did, soon).

6. Staying nearby in a place owned by a local bird expert (who discovered the black-capped kingfisher here) Jit Bahadur Khadga, who was my mentor and guardian during my stint in Bardia earlier, I noticed this Callotes basking. Stalking to get some images, I managed to capture it hanging on its forelimbs…and pooping.

7. Cultural or anthropological history of Bardia (and the Terai region) is as fascinating as its natural history. This region was previously exclusively inhabited by the Tharu tribe. They were the only ones resistant to malaria and could survive these mosquito-infested forests. Here is a Tharu kid playing capture-release with a frog.

Contact info@asiaworldholidays.com for travel arrangements in Nepal.

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/photo-feature-back-to-bardia/feed/0Forest fire copyspiritoftheforestsForest fire copyRussels viper killedGrassland BardiaCroc eating pythonSpiderHanging callotesCallotes poopingDiagonalKathmandu in Crutches (Slide Show)https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/kathmandu-in-crutches-slide-show/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/kathmandu-in-crutches-slide-show/#respondSun, 24 Apr 2016 19:46:04 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=104Continue reading Kathmandu in Crutches (Slide Show)→]]>This day, last year, I was in McLeodganj in north India, for my near annual hedonistic pilgrimage. With my friends, staying at an isolated guest house. After a late breakfast, I was browsing through my twitter account to see what was going on in the world beyond.

Earthquake in Nepal. That was common enough. But as more tweets popped up, it was clear that this was different.

I tried calling home. The phone rang out whenever I did get through. My heart sank and my brain was a whirlpool of negativity.

Finally, I got through to mom, and heard her terrified for the first time. She was fine, but dad was not reachable. He had gone out for a meeting, and was not answering his phone.

An hour later however, he was back. In his rush to reach home, he didn’t heard his phone ring.

I was among the fortunate ones. To have lost no family or friends.

Nearly 9000 people died (not accounting for many possibly buried without any trace) and millions were displaced. Homes, lives, dreams, destroyed.

However, in our worse, we saw different shades of Nepal. It revealed our humanity, but also our lack of leadership.

Today, as we mark the anniversary, we are reminded that humanity is easy to suppress, but lack of good leadership, not so much.

Well, the least we can do is wish ourselves good luck in actually implementing these kick-offs. Somebody mentioned, even in Kathmandu if people are still living in makeshift shelters, what might the situation be elsewhere.

In the meanwhile, here are some pictures from a commemoration held in Patan Darbar Square today.

Click to view slideshow.
]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/kathmandu-in-crutches-slide-show/feed/0dspiritoftheforestsCash for Trash: The Clean Revolution – Mysuruhttps://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/cash-for-trash-the-clean-revolution-mysuru/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/cash-for-trash-the-clean-revolution-mysuru/#commentsMon, 28 Mar 2016 09:40:58 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=54Continue reading Cash for Trash: The Clean Revolution – Mysuru→]]>In December 2015, I quit my job for stories. I wanted to document individuals who are making a difference to society and environment, not waiting for government or NGOs or God to intervene.

One of the first that I got to know about was a ward in Mysuru, named Kumbarakoppal, through my young friend Akhilesh (who happens to be one of the most experienced, well-informed and socially-aware persons I know). I did not know it then, but Akhilesh told me that this was the cleanest in Mysuru.

Cleanliness and Indian cities are not something I would put together. See this for instance.

But Mysuru was different. Not the cleanest it could be. But clean nevertheless.

So, accompanied by Akhilesh, I visited the cleanest ward in India’s cleanest city.

The following 5-minute video blog was the outcome of this visit. I hope you enjoy it. But more than enjoy, I hope you introspect and question why similar initiatives could not be done elsewhere.

Dedicated to: Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/cash-for-trash-the-clean-revolution-mysuru/feed/1spiritoftheforestsBangalore.jpgBeing Nepali. In India.https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/being-nepali-in-india/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/being-nepali-in-india/#respondFri, 26 Feb 2016 08:15:51 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/being-nepali-in-india/Continue reading Being Nepali. In India.→]]>Did you ask, how does it feel being a Nepali in India?

This post might have had just two words – ‘No different’. Unfortunately, not everyone is as lucky to know this.

Personally, none of this would have mattered, if not for the blockade in Nepal, and the following incident:

Traveling in Maharashtra, I came across a Nepali orphan* in a fairly remote school in the outskirts of Pune. Getting to know that I was from Nepal, the teacher called out to the boy Shyam Tamang to sing the Nepali National anthem. Shyly he came up to the front, bent his head and began singing to the classroom-full of boys and girls his age, all standing in respect on a prompt from the teacher.

He was one of us – Nepalis among Indians. Like the hundreds of thousands of us. Making India home. With Indian friends and even family.

I was reminded of the recent visit by Nepal’s Prime Minister Shri KP Sharma Oli, and of the circumstances at home. Fuel, essential commodities even basic medication in short supply, due to the blockade. The Indian media pronounced it was caused by the agitating Madheshi community, while their Nepali counterparts sidled the blame on to the Indian government.

This hate triangle was clearly confusing. It still is. Whoever caused it, the outcome was immense hardships for people in Nepal.

What was scary was the divide that it had the potential to create. Between the people of the hills and the plains, and also possible antagonism against Indian citizens, depending on who one believed caused the blockade.

Within Nepal, calling it an India-made blockade of course helped direct the anger outwards. The media reported an ‘upsurge in jingoism’. There are Nepalis who anyway perceive India as an imposing regional bully. I have heard talk against India, and generalizations of Indians.

A blockade such as the one we faced, where even the international leaders shamelessly looked away, could trigger deeper and visible anti-India sentiments.

I don’t know the situation now as yet; my last visit to Nepal was during the April 25th earthquake (the aftershocks of which continue even today). However, I hear that my countrymen/women were largely mature in their response. They were not angry against ordinary Indians, the media informed, though they were disappointed in the Indian government.

I do hope this understanding remains. There is nothing as risky as painting an entire community with the same brush, so to say. If present difficulties overpower our reason and logic, we must look in the past to preserve this understanding.

—

Following the 25/4 earthquake, many ordinary Indians went out of their way to help. Those who did not, at least, empathized. Just as many Nepalis did.

My boss then, Dr Ullas Karanth offered me leave (with pay) to be with my family, without me even asking. My earlier organization led by Mr Vivek Menon helped out a Nepali office assistant, and opened to me their doors, should I want to collect relief funds. Young members of an organization called Goonj, carried out emergency relief, while coordinating supplies from Bangalore.

These are just a few of my personal experiences. This is the side of India I know. Yet, this is not even a fraction of goodness that exists, or that I have experienced during my time here.

—

But ‘this side’ has no national boundaries really. ‘This side’ exists beyond individual identities, race, color, sex, religion, political beliefs and other ways that we have learnt to divide ourselves in. ‘This side’ is what unites the world as one. ‘This side’ is humanity.

Of course, I have had my share of negativity, here, but India is not to blame. It’s the individuals who caused me these discomfort I hold grudges against. Just like I do in Nepal, or I might in any other country.

I do hope ordinary people in Nepal realize this. #IndiablockadesNepal was a misleading hashtag that was trending. Ordinary Indians were not blockading Nepal. Like ordinary Nepalis, they were living and working with an aspiration for a good life. Like ordinary Nepalis, they were facing daily frustration and hardships. Like ordinary Nepalis, they were hurting or helping others.

So, to answer the question: how does it feel to be a Nepali in India?

I feel just like Tamang bhai, who is treated by his classmates as one among them, or by his teachers like any other student, while respecting his roots, his identity and his individualism.

I feel just like a human among humans.

———–ends————-

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I thank my friend Ajinkya Bhatkar (Founder, Life Trail) for his hospitality, and more for his untiring, selfless efforts at helping spread awareness on wildlife conservation among school children in Maharashtra. I was fortunate to accompany him during his trip to Z.P.Primary School, Ambavane, Lonavala, Pune, where Shyam Tamang studies. Will soon be writing more on his work, but for now, please visit: Life Trail on Facebook

*Used this word here and in video, as I could not think of anything else.

]]>https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/being-nepali-in-india/feed/0spiritoftheforestsPanty-national: The beginninghttps://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/panty-national-the-beginning/
https://pantynational.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/panty-national-the-beginning/#commentsWed, 24 Feb 2016 02:50:33 +0000http://pantynational.wordpress.com/?p=2Continue reading Panty-national: The beginning→]]>Naming is one of the most difficult things. We never think about it. But think about it.

A lot of you have been producing kids left, right and centre. You can’t just name your kid anything. Imagine calling someone that. Anything.

“Do you want anything?” or “Do you want Anything?” would mean two different things! So much confusion.

A lot of businesses have failed because they got the wrong name.

The latest one to go down the drain (almost) is Mysore Pak (a famous sweet…oops sorry.. I meant bitter.. from Mysore). Apparently, it’s now calling itself Mysore Halwa. Good job!

But what would have just blown it better would be Mysore Hind. In this day and age, nothing could better that. But beware! Don’t get the pronunciation wrong. Otherwise, you will get it there.

Sorry for digressing again. It just seems like the season for digressions. Everyone seems to be doing that. You start with head, you end in somebody’s hind. If you don’t know what I mean, try watching news debates on current affairs. The host talks today, the guests respond yesterday; or, host talks yesterday, guests respond today. Yeah, you get it; you’re not dumb.

Coming back to naming. I have had multiple problems with naming. Like naming my dogs. But I am glad we did well, me and my friends, at least in dog namakaran (Not my family though. Terrible names we gave our dogs at home). But business is something completely different. I haven’t been able to start so many enterprises because I never got beyond the attempts to name them!

This blog too would have been another non-starter, just because of the lack of the right name. But this time, I was not alone. 1 billion people helped me!

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The first good idea that smacked me on the head when I seriously started thinking about blogging a few months ago, was ‘spread the word’. Unfortunately, like with most good ideas, I was too late. I would have loved to blog about ‘spread the legs’ but that would have been heavily censored. It would not be fun if it became ‘spread the beep’ now would it?

I was lost. I searched and searched (*dramatically) until I found the most popular word doing the round these days. Yes, you got it, you Anti-national fellow. And it’s to you and all those who named you that, that I credit this discovery to. So a BIG THANK YOU TO MY BILLION FRIENDS!

[There is in fact a short history here. I actually wanted to name it Aunty-national. But that just sounded like a Mallu anti-national. Apologies for the slang, but I like calling my Mallu friends Mallus. Like I am called Kancha or Bahadur or Babaji or Ching Chang. But not with hate. Moreover, aunty-national went against my masculinism. Then I thought and thought (*more dramatically), and finally found it!]

Panty-national is born!

So ‘panty-national’ will de-panty everything I want to talk about – serious issues, anti-serious issues, stupid issues, etc etc. About the earth, it’s environment, it’s protectors, it’s destroyers, about people and stories that inspire me, or not, and about general people I meet during my travels.. through text, images, videos, music, and any other forms of creation.

Except babies, which I don’t think I will have. I would like it if you didn’t too as there are too many already, but I am not judging. I know, everybody needs to create something. Because the Creator made us in her own form, and gave us the ability to create.

Only if you can’t create anything else, create babies. Just don’t name them anything; and definitely not Anything.

STATUTORY NOTES:
1. I will not be regular. I am unemployed. I am travelling. Internet connectivity is not always good. Maybe I am de-pantying my girl.

2. I will make grammatical errors. I will create new words. I will write how I please.

3. I do not mean to offend anyone or fend off anything. Please avoid and ignore me, if you don’t like what I write. You have a choice, I don’t.